Surgical knife

Abstract

A knife particularly adapted for use in removing the semilunar cartilages from the knee has an elongated handle-engaging shank and two cutting blades fixed forwardly thereon. A first of the blades is flat transversely and concave longitudinally in extension of the shank with a curvature generally conforming to the curvature of the outer surface of the meniscus, and has a cutting edge at its front end. The second blade is integrally joined to the first blade along one edge thereof and is disposed at a right angle to the concave side of the first blade, and tapers rearwardly from its forward cutting edge toward the shank. A guide member projects forwardly from the point of intersection of the cutting edges of the two blades.

I claim: 
     
       1. A surgical knife for the surgical removal of the meniscus from the human knee, comprising: an elongated, transversely flat, flexible shank of substantially uniform width throughout its length having a rearward end engageable with a handle and a forward end, said shank being curved near its forward end with a curvature generally corresponding to the curvature of the outer surface of the meniscus of the human knee and having first and second cutting blades fixed thereon at its forward end,   said first blade being flat transversely and constituting a forward extension of the curved portion of said shank and having a transverse cutting edge across its extreme forward end disposed substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis thereof,   said second blade being flat transversely and integrally joined to said first blade along one edge thereof and disposed on the concave said of said curved shank in a plane perpendicular to the plane of said first blade, and having a width at its forward end substantially equal to the width of said first blade and extending longitudinally rearwardly from the extreme forward end of said first blade and tapered at its rearward end to merge with said shank at a point forwardly of said curved portion, said second blade having a transverse cutting edge across the extreme forward end thereof disposed substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis thereof in a plane common with the cutting edge of said first blade and transversely of and perpendicular to the planes of said first and second blades.   
     
     
       2. A surgical knife according to claim 1, wherein said knife further comprises: a guide member integral with said blades projecting forwardly from substantially the point of intersection of the cutting edges of said first and second blades.   
     
     
       3. A surgical knife according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the width of said first and second blades at their forward end is in the range between about three millimeters and about five millimeters. 
     
     
       4. A surgical knife for the surgical removal of the meniscus from the human knee, comprising: an elongated transversely flat, flexible shank having a rearward end engageable with a handle and a forward end being curved concavely near said forward end and first and second blades fixed thereon at its forward end,   said first blade being flat transversely and constituting a forward extension from the curved portion of said shank and having a transverse cutting edge across the forward end thereof,   said second blade being integrally joined to said first blade along one edge thereof and disposed on the concave side of said first blade in a plane perpendicular to the plane of said first blade, and having a width at its forward end substantially equal to the width of said first blade and extending rearwardly from the forward end of said first blade and tapered at its rearward end to merge with said shank at a point forwardly of said curved portion, said second blade having a transverse cutting edge at the forward end thereof, and   a guide number integral with said blades projecting forwardly from substantially the point of intersection of the cutting edges of said first and second blades.